WBB: Previewing the Back Court
Guard depth went from a liability last season - when Destanni Henderson and Zia Cooke only got a few minutes of rest each - to a luxury this season - where the struggle will be finding enough playing time for seven players.
“You’ve got to be productive. If you’re not productive, if you haven’t been productive consistently, then you’re probably lower on the depth chart. They’re still fighting it out so I can’t say who those people are right now. It’s fair to say it’s pretty competitive.” - Dawn Staley on the guards, prior to the exhibition
Destanni Henderson
Recap:
Henderson led the SEC in assists last season and shot over 40% from three, and yet she seems to be criticized relentlessly for not being … Ty Harris, I guess. Henderson turned the ball over too often, but not as much as the reputation she has been saddled with: she had the eighth-best assist-to-turnover ratio in program history last season.
Outlook:
Social media mavens may not be huge Henny fans, but coaches are. Henderson was named preseason second team All-American by USA Today and is on the Nancy Lieberman Award Watch List. With no reliable backup point guard last season, Henderson had to play heavy minutes, which may have contributed to some of the turnovers. Raven Johnson should help in that area. Henderson’s speed with the dribble is her greatest asset, but sometimes it could get her into trouble. The goal this year is to do a better job of playing under control.
What they’re saying:
“Henny is used to playing fast and getting up and down the floor. Sometimes she gets too deep on the floor and it leads to turnovers. We’re getting her to understand the pace and space of things. Yes we want to play fast, but we want to play either fast to slow or slow to fast. You can’t just be fast to fast to fast to fast. Slowing down will allow you to see a little more and possibly not get yourself too deep into a space where nothing good that will happen. Most of Henny’s turnovers come in that space.” - Dawn Staley, before the exhibition game
Zia Cooke
Recap:
Like Henderson, Cooke’s production is matched only by the criticism lobbed her way. In Cooke’s case, people are upset that South Carolina’s shooting guard shoots. It’s a remnant of Cooke being listed as a point guard coming out of high school. That’s not her role. She was South Carolina’s leading scorer last season at 15.9 points, and she established herself as one of the most explosive scorers in the country and honorable mention All-American.
Outlook:
Cooke did not play in the exhibition with a right ankle injury. Staley said Cooke would have played if it had been a real game, but there has to be at least a little concern it could linger. Cooke is always good for one or two “Oh my!” plays a game, but she’s a streak scorer who isn’t always as efficient as Staley wants. Cooke has the scorer’s mentality of, “When I’m hot I’ll keep shooting until I cool off. When I’m cold I’ll shoot until I get hot.” She shot 39% last season, and it would be nice to get that into at least the low 40s. Staley would never tell Cooke to stop shooting, but she does want to eliminate some of the forced shots.
Saniya Rivers
Recap:
Rivers led the nation in scoring as a high school senior at West Ashley High in Wilmington, NC. She was the Gatorade and USA Today national player of the year and the number three overall recruit.
Outlook:
Before transferring, Rivers began her high school career at Laney, the alma mater of one Michael Jeffrey Jordan. Rivers drew comparisons as the “Female Jordan,” which is fun and games until you see her play. Her shot, her slashing athleticism, her lanky frame, they all look like a young Jordan. South Carolina won’t complain if she duplicates his freshman season.
Rivers’ defense needs work, but she is a willing defender with the strength and long frame to become really good. Listening to Staley talk about Rivers, it sometimes sounds like she is grasping at weaknesses, the same way she needled A’ja Wilson.
What they’re saying:
“Gifted offensively. Gifted. Elite passer. Elite playmaker. She plays at her own pace. Can shoot it. I didn’t know her three-point shot was as consistent as it is. I was well-aware of her playmaking skills, her thread-the-needle-type assists. She’s usually a good decision-maker. Defensively she’s got some work to do to catch up. There isn’t anybody on our team that can do some of the things she does with that basketball. It’s pretty magical when she’s comfortable and confident and in the flow.” - Dawn Staley, before the exhibition game
“She’s an elite offensive player. She’s got that ‘it’ factor when it comes to offense. She also has to play a little bit more aggressive on both sides of the basketball. The hardest thing for her is defending, keeping somebody in front of her. She’ll get it because she’s athletic and she’s long, but some things take a little bit longer to get.” - Dawn Staley, following the exhibition against Benedict
“I want freshman of the year. All freshmen are competing for that goal. I want to finish strong when it comes to free throws because free throws win big games, and just be the best player I can be and know my role and play that role so I can help my team win a national championship.” - Saniya Rivers, following the exhibition against Benedict
Raven Johnson
Recap:
“Hollywood” Johnson was the second-ranked recruit overall and the Naismith national player of the year. She is supremely confident, practically recruiting herself to South Carolina, and then declaring herself the “Big Birdie” when she committed. Johnson led Westlake High to four straight state championships, never losing a game in the state of Georgia, and won the GEICO national championship as a senior. She is billed as the perfect point guard: a combination of flash and fundamentals, scoring and distribution.
Outlook:
Um, she might be. Even Dawn Staley, aka the best point guard ever, was impressed by Johnson following the exhibition. Maybe it was when Johnson fired a pinpoint one-handed pass to a cutting Rivers for a layup and all you could think was, “Four years of this.” Or maybe it was when Johnson forced a turnover, got an open look at a three, and found Kamilla Cardoso for a layup instead. Or when she beat the defense to the rim but hit Victaria Saxton with a no-look, over-the-shoulder pass for a layup because why the hell not. Henny is PG1, but Hollywood is going to make an impact.
What they’re saying:
“Raven is super competitive. She plays both sides of the basketball, and she’s playing the toughest position. She has really good days and then she has really bad days because it’s hard. It’s a process. She’s probably going to get there a lot sooner than any other guard besides maybe Ty, because Ty came in with it. She’s a sponge. She wants it, and she’s good. She can create her own shot, she’s got court vision, she doesn’t miss a whole lot of layups, which is good. She’s a playmaker and she’s got instant chemistry with Kamilla. That connection is great for us. They know each other. She makes passes to Kamilla that no one is expecting or no one has that connection like they have.” - Dawn Staley, before the exhibition game
“I thought Raven Johnson was pretty darn good today. I don’t even know if she’s practiced that well, maybe she’s a gamer. (...) I think she does a great job defending so it was promising to see her.” - Dawn Staley, following the exhibition against Benedict
Eniya Russell
Recap:
Russell might be the forgotten player. Surrounded by preternatural players, it’s easy to forget that most freshmen need time to adjust. She was a do-it-all player in high school and she sometimes had trouble playing within a team philosophy last season. Still, Russell has enough talent that Staley designed a specific package for her in the NCAA tournament. It worked in practice but then flopped in the game.
Outlook:
Overcoming that disconnect between practice and games, ability and structure, will define Russell’s sophomore season. Against Benedict Russell got the start in place of Cooke, but then didn’t start the second half. She was solid with eight points and four rebounds. Russell is good at a lot of different things but the question is, what is she great at? Figuring that out will get her on the court.
Bree Hall
Recap:
Bree Hall (“We call her Breezy because her name is Bree and we’ve got a Brea”) was once the sleeper of the class, but a sensational senior season elevated her to the 14th-overall recruit. She was a defensive specialist with a late-developing offensive game.
Outlook:
In another year, you could build a class around Hall and be happy. She is listed at 6-0, but looks more like 6-2 or 6-3, great size for a guard. Hall is still a work in progress on the offensive end, but there are always minutes for defense, especially on a team loaded with offensive threats. It’s easy to see her in a Brea Beal role.
What they’re saying:
“Breezy is a defensive specialist. She’s energy. She’s effort. She plays that way. From an offensive standpoint she’s coming along. I’ve asked her to just flow offensively. Just try to teach her how to play. We’re slowing her down offensively so she can see how it develops so she can be more impactful.” - Dawn Staley, following the exhibition against Benedict
Destiny Littleton
Recap:
Another forgotten player, two seasons ago, Littleton had surgeries on both feet. She spent last season and this summer working her way back into game shape, and played out of position as the backup point guard last season. Littleton is the all-time leading scorer in the state of California, but has never really been able to recapture that at the college level.
Outlook:
Littleton is a reliable, steady option, and she is in much better shape than she was a year ago. While she isn’t a true point guard, Littleton is valuable as a combo guard who can play either position. She’s not as talented as the freshmen, but she also doesn’t make mistakes and in close games Staley plays those she trusts.
Others
Olivia Thompson remains a fan favorite and garbage-time star. She got some playing time in the past as a zone-buster, and that could happen this season as well. There are also wings Brea Beal and LeLe Grissett (who have been left out of both the guard and forward previews). Grissett is out indefinitely with the injury she suffered in the SEC Tournament, and Beal is entrenched as the starter at small forward. South Carolina can also go small (relatively speaking) by sliding one of the guards over to small forward. Rivers and Hall in particular should get minutes with the second unit until Grissett returns.